Robin Williams' son, Zak Williams, is paying tribute to his late father on the seventh anniversary of his death.
Taking to Twitter, Zak honored the actor and comedian, who died by suicide in 2014 at age 63, with a touching message posted Wednesday.
"Dad, seven years ago today you passed on," he wrote. "The joy and inspiration you brought to the world carries on in your legacy and in your family, friends, and fans you so loved. You lived to bring laughter and to help others. I will be celebrating your memory today. Love you forever."
Robin Williams' daughter, Zelda Williams, also marked the anniversary of her father's death on Twitter with a message of support to others who have lost loved ones.
"Sending love out there today to all the folks navigating loss," she wrote. "New, old, the connective tissue of that deeply human pain can be hard to bear, but I find it easier sometimes knowing how many others have felt the same sting. We're not alone."
Zak, who has become a mental health advocate, has been open about his and his father's struggles with addiction and depression. In a 2020 interview during an episode of "The Dr. Oz Show," which was shared by People, Zak said he knew his father was in a dark place.
"I was acutely aware of my dad's struggles with depression, it manifested in addiction at times, and he took great lengths to support his well-being and mental health, especially when he was challenged. It was something that was a daily consideration for him," he said.
"The main thing for me was noticing how he went through great lengths to support himself while he could show up for others," Zak continued. "It was clear that he prioritized his mental health throughout most of his life, at least that I experienced with him."
Earlier this year, Zak admitted during an appearance on Prince Harry and Oprah's new Apple TV+ docuseries, "The Me You Can't See," that there were similarities between his and his father’s struggles with addiction and mental health.
Williams previously acknowledged having an issue with substance abuse before he died and Zak believes his own dependencies could be genetic.
"There's a generational issue going on. I've experienced mental health issues my entire life," he said, according to the Daily Mail.
As a child, Zak had obsessive-compulsive disorder that left him obsessing over things, like counting out certain actions, before going to bed. He admitted to also having bad insomnia, a lot of energy, and a racing mind, which he believes he inherited from his father. This led him to experiment with, and depend on, drugs and alcohol in his adolescent years as a way to calm his racing mind.
"The weird thing for me is I would use uppers, cocaine, and the like to calm down. I talked to my dad about it, he was similar," Zak explained. "He would use uppers as a way of focusing, relaxing. [When] we began to have a deeper, more profound understanding of one another is when he decided to stop drinking, which is around the time that I first realized I had a problem."
If you are having thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (TALK) or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources.
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Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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